Berichte aus Augustenborg

Gepostet am: May 24, 2017 12:25:44 PM

Erasmus Impressions

Looking back I was really excited of the thought of going to the Erasmus project, so I was obviously excited when I was chosen to be part of it. I didn’t know what to expect, since I have never been part of something like this, so I was pretty curious too. Now being back home from the trip, I can say that the Erasmus exceeded my expectations and hopes.

This week was so enjoyable that I even cried when we had to bid farewell. I’ve made a lot of great friends there, with whom I had a great time with in the week. I was in a family with only one host mother and the rest of us were from Erasmus. It was very funny living with people from different cultures and comparing them. We lived the furthest from the school, in a city called Sønderborg. In Sønderborg we always went to the mall and met up with some friends. The people in the city, and I believe in Denmark as a whole, are all very nice and welcoming. It was rather surprising to discover for me that most of them understood German but it makes sense, since the two countries share a deep history, especially in the area we lived in. I did not learn a lot of new things at school but there were some interesting aspects that I had not known yet. In my opinion, the main thing to take out of Erasmus is not what you learn, in terms of the topic, but actually learning to work with others that you may not know at all and to build your self-confidence, which I think has worked pretty well on me. The fact that I had to spend time with people I have never met before, reinvigorated me and gave me a chance to show what I am capable of without prejudice.

All in all I am really glad for taking part in this special programme because it has changed me for the better (I hope) and gave me new friends that I hope to be able to keep for a long time. I want to thank Mrs. Bernkopf and Mr. Lechner for giving me this opportunity and for giving us a great time in this week! I will fondly carry the memories from Erasmus with me!

Brandon Viardo, 6B

Impressions of Denmark

Denmark was simply great.

We got to know so many new people. It was interesting to meet other teenagers of my age from different countries such as Romania, Germany and of course Denmark. I liked to speak English with them. They told me about their customs and traditions and about their school systems. I was a little shocked when a Danish student told me that the state draws the subjects you have to do in tests and even for the final exams. I also noticed that the Danish flag is really that important for them. Everyone and really everywhere you can find a huge mast with the flag of Denmark. You always know in which country you are, there.

I also want to mention the lovely host family I had. Valeria, Sophie and I enjoyed the funny evenings with them. I was very keen on eating a real Frikadella. And really on the very first evening they made them for us - and they tasted delicious. We were very fortunate because Family Doyle was half British. The host-father was somewhere from the region of Bristol and the mother was Danish. Thus, their two children Sophia and Anna- Lina were actually natives of English. And therefore we profited a lot from them.

At the very beginning everyone was a little shy. But after the first trip we got to know each other better. We even got spontaneously invited to a barbecue party. That was very kind of Anne-Kathrine.

We exchanged phone numbers with everyone and now we even have an Erasmus Whats App Group. The first messages we got included “Can’t wait to come to Vienna” or “We asked our parents and they said that we are allowed to come to Vienna by train in June”.

To make a long story short, I can say that every time I hear the word Denmark I will think of the wonderful week I had there and of all the nice people I met. It will remain a dear memory for me. I was so glad I got this opportunity.

Maya Muilerman,6B

My impressions of the Erasmus+ programme at Denmark

I had really wanted to participate in the Erasmus + programme ever since former 5A and 4C returned from Rhauderfehn and Zarnesti with the most amazing stories to tell. I was really looking forward to our stay in Augustenborg and the programme totally lived up to my expectations.

I really enjoyed our arrival and departure, as we were given the opportunity to explore Hamburg. Visiting the town hall, doing a harbour cruise or simply walking through the city were amazing activities to round off our trip.

However, the memories which will remain the longest, will probably be the ones of Denmark. Sadly, a few of them won’t be entirely positive, as the CLIL lessons were a little too easy (they were more of a revision of what we had already learnt at school, nothing new) and the level of English a little too low for us. At this point it is important to mention that the majority of the other students were 14 years old, which means we were one or two years older. With all the other activities the difference of age didn’t matter. I found all the afternoon activities and trips to the military base, the amusement park and the Danfoss company highly entertaining and interesting, as I did learn a lot.

Anyway, what really makes the week so special and unique is the time I spent with other people, meaning my host family and the other students. I could not have thought of any better host family, than the one Valeria, Maya and I stayed with, since the very incredibly kind, open and interested in our stories and I enjoyed the evenings when we sat around the fireplace, having a cup of tea and cookies, talking about different cultures, traditions, school systems, politics, etc. The more exciting evenings/ nights were of course the ones we spent with the other students, for example when we had a barbecue at a Danish student’s house or spent several hours exploring Sondeborg, walking alongside the sea and strolling through the town.

To put it in a nutshell I’d like to say, that one week was far too short and no one was ready to say good bye. I hope, I’ll see some of the others again in November, when the Erasmus+ programme takes place in Vienna.

Sophie Kraft, 6B

We came as strangers and left as friends

I was very happy to get the chance to be part of the Erasmus + project. It was not only a possibility to improve and use my English but also to make friends.

The trip was divided into lessons, excursions and time with the host family. The lessons were about the topics renewable energy and water. In my opinion it was very easy to follow the teachers, sometimes too easy. The reason for that is that we, the group from Austria, are one to two years older than the other students. But it wasn’t bad to repeat the topics.

On Monday and Tuesday after the lessons we always went on an excursion. We saw the Dybbol Banke which was a museum at the location of the war between the Danish and the Prussian in 1864. On Tuesday, we visited the amusement park Universe. Some of us drove there a Segway for the first time. So did I. It was a great experience. We also got a tour through the office building of Danfoss which is an important company of Denmark.

The thing that I enjoyed the most beside the lessons and the excursions was the time with our host family. I stayed together with Sophie and Maya at a wonderful host family. They had two daughters and one dog. Once Annalina, who was also a part of this Erasmus week, took us three with her to her friend’s place and we had a barbecue with some other from Erasmus + students. It was a very nice evening and we enjoyed the hospitality.

Also our host father and mother were really friendly and talked with us for hours. They showed us many traditions from Denmark and let us try Danish food. Our host sisters played Monopoly with us and showed us Kitting, Augustenborg and Sonderborg. We even learned some Danish words and how to count to ten.

Because we had such a great time in Denmark the leave was even harder. To say good bye to all the friends and the host family was really hard.

To sum up I enjoyed the week in Denmark and I am looking forward to November till I see some of the students again when they are coming to Vienna.

Valeria Rümmele, 6B

Erasmus+ 2017: Denmark

This year the Erasmus+ project took us to Augustenborg in Denmark. Like every other school trip this one was special in its own way. The experience of travelling there and back with just eight people and not the whole class was different and pretty exciting. Both tours through Hamburg were a nice beginning and ending to the week. But of course the best part was Denmark.

The families were extraordinarily kind and made it as comfortable as possible for us. We really felt welcomed into the families and were treated as a family member. We were even invited to other families for grill parties and birthdays in the evenings and enjoyed the time with other Erasmus people and their hosts.

In school it was a bit awkward at the beginning of the week because all the schools stayed in their groups, but in the course of the week we all became very close friends. By separating us from our class or school members, the teachers forced us to interact with the other students, which definitely worked. There were several group projects that we had to do by talking and discussing in our groups and working as a team and not loose individuals. After school we met either at someone else’s house, as mentioned, or met at the mall in Sønderborg, where we spent time together.

Aside from school we also went on many outings, such as the amusement park “Universe”, where we didn’t only look at attractions, but also learnt and interacted. After the long day we always came home exhausted but happy, and after that we could do what we wanted to. The mornings were a bit strenuous for some, though, since a few of us had to wake up very early and then walk for half an hour to school or get driven really early. That explained why most of us were tired by the end of the day.

The worst part of this week was the last day. Many tears were shed and everyone was reluctant to say goodbye to their friends and host families, since we would never see many of them again. But in the end everyone was in the bus and waving to the Danes outside. The trip back home was not as full of excitement and fun as when we arrived. People were staring out of the windows, silent, while other were taking photos and sending them to their host families and friends back in Augustenborg.

But still this trip to Denmark was so much fun and will not be forgotten! All of us are still in contact with everyone from the project because now we don’t only have friends here in Austria but in Germany, Denmark and Rumania as well.

Vidur Tandon, 6B